


Potion Master’s Dilemma.

by HPFandom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Explicit Language, F/M, Gen, Multi, Out of Character, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-16
Updated: 2006-05-28
Packaged: 2018-10-01 06:58:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10183448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPFandom_archivist/pseuds/HPFandom_archivist
Summary: The Potion Master of Hogwarts gains an assistant and a problem.





	1. Chapter One.

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HP Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HP_Fandom_\(archive\)), which was closed for health and financial reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HP Fandom collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hpfandom/profile).

Title: Potion Master’s Dilemma.  
Author: Beth Brownell  
Rating: This story is a big R for the language that I’m using and some situations that will happen.  
Summary: The Potion Master of Hogwarts gains an assistant and a problem. SS/OFC. AU.  
Disclaimer: No copyright are harmed in any ways in the writing of this story. I own Miranda along with the plot but I do not own the Harry Potter world, they belong to the wonderful J.K Rowling who blessed us all with her stories about Harry Potter.  
Feedback: Constructive reviews would be nice; flamers can keep their fingers quiet.  
Archive: If you wish to archive this story, please e-mail me first for permission.  
Author's note: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters but for the original character I have created and the story plot. JK Rowling owns all of the Harry Potter characters but mine, which happens to be Miranda. This story was based on an idea discussed in the Slytherins_Severus_Snape Yahoo group. Also I have purposely omitted the color of hair, eyes, skin of Miranda McShale so you the reader can picture her in your own mind. Thank you.

**Potion Master's Dilemma.**

The Three Broomsticks was not too busy when Severus Snape and Filch entered, and sat down at the bar, ordered two warm butterbeers. Nothing else to drink; neither one of them ever even touched the whiskey that Hagrid liked - it was way too strong for _him_ ; one shot would make him drunk and be loose with his tongue and Snape was always held his tongue. Snape was not really pleased because of one of his worst student had melted several cauldrons that week. He was forced to go into Hogsmeade with Filch who hated being called into the Dungeon after a class was over to find a huge mess of a melted cauldron on the ground. They had bought nine new cauldrons for Snape's Potion class.

“Severus, I see some friends of mine. You don't mind? I'll meet you back at Hogwarts with the cauldrons,” stated Filch 

Snape turned to look at Filch who pointed to a group of equally grumpy wizards, “Go on, Filch, if you want to go visit your friends, you don't need my permission.”   
Filch picked up his warm mug of butterbeer and started to walk over to his friends only to bump into a witch who was just entering the bar. “Many apologies, ma'am,” 

The witch smiled at him and walked over to a seat that was vacant next to Snape where she ordered a mug of warm butterbeer and a shot of fire whiskey. The bartender knew that the fire whiskey was the second most potent whiskey he had beyond the one that Hagrid would ask for and it was rarely given in a shot glass, but a thimble. 

“Are you sure you want it in a shot glass?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. 

The bartender poured the red liquid into the shot glass and handed it to her to watch her down it in one swallow. She pushed it back towards him and tapped the wood behind it, wanting another shot. He looked at her shocked as he poured her another and watched her down it as well.

“Ah, this is good,” she whispered, as she took one big gulp of the butterbeer before glancing around the room. 

Snape groused into his mug, softly. "That blasted student will never get any potion correct.”

The witch sitting next to him turned to look at him and snorted softly. Snape turned his head to look at the witch and then turned back to his mug when something in him made him turn around back to her.

“Why did you just snort at what I said, miss?” snarled Snape softly.

“Well, I doubt you want to listen to someone who you do not even know,” whispered the witch, as she tapped the wood in front of the shot glass again.

"The name is Professor Severus Snape. I'm Potion Master at Hogwarts," 

"I'm Miranda McShale."

“Why should I listen to a witch telling me what I should do with him beyond giving him detentions all the time?” he growled, glaring at her. 

“Well, I see you don't like to take criticism about how to go about working with students who might need a little more help than the rest,” said Miranda, as she stood up from her chair and walked away from him.

Snape turned away from her to look at the bartender who whispered, “I suggest you listen to her, Professor. Get a new approach to teaching that kid, it will cost the school less money if that student is helped.”

“You think so?” he asked.

“Yes, I have seen couple students drop out of school that came from other countries because of the teacher not really helping them and they were having problems with one subject. They are dangerous if they are not taught properly,” said the bartender, as he turned away from him to serve another witch a drink.

"Maybe if you get someone to tutor the student, that student might learn to do potions with the rest of the class and maybe outshine your best student," Miranda whispered in his ear.

“He will never be one of my good students, Miss McShale,” Snape snapped angrily.

"I'm sorry...but I think he might be," spoke Miranda, as she walked away from him.

"What do you mean by that?" he hissed, as he picked up his warm butterbeer and followed her to another table.

Miranda sat down as Snape placed his butterbeer down on the table and sat down. “The one who is blowing up the school cauldrons; he may need a tutor instead of being constantly yelled at all the time or maybe told to take the ingredients one at a time before he gets the next one.. You might be impressed by what that student ends up doing if he is tutored or taught correctly." 

"How do you know so much about teaching Ms. McShale, are you a teacher?" growled Snape, gazing at her with fire in his eyes.

"I'm a special needs specialist, Mr. Snape.” Miranda stated, as her eyes flashed their fury. “I have been in situation where I needed to have a tutor and was not given one, so I know the feeling of not knowing what was wrong with my studies.”

“But how do you know what a teacher should be doing with their students?”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Very well then, I was in a school in America many years ago, where the Potion Mistress was a bloody bitch towards anyone who could get a potion correct. She really never wanted anyone but a few ' _pet_ ' students, who would get a potion correct. She hated me with a vengeance. She made sure that I wouldn't have the correct ingredients even when I informed her that she gave me the wrong potion ingredients. She told me that I had the proper ingredients that are on the blackboard start working. I ended up melting several cauldrons cause of the ingredients that bloody hag told me were the right ones. I really started to hate Potions," said Miranda, eyes flashing in anger as she sipped her butterbeer. 

Snape was curious in why this American witch was here but the accent she had was Scottish. "Did you hate that class?”

"Not at first, it was my favorite class. But that hag made it a living hell to even think about school let alone Potions. She failed me each year till my sixth year when I finally had it with the bitch and told the headmaster about her and told him if he doesn't inform the teacher to stop with her sabotages of my school work. Yes, I accused her of sabotaging my school work. The headmaster believed her and not me, after they spoke. I think he had been told that I was lying about it all, trying to get her into trouble. I even took the information to the school board and they believed her and not me when I showed them evidence of the sabotages," snapped Miranda.

"What happened after that?" asked Snape.

"She caused more trouble with my potions that I did after I ‘ _accused_ ’ her. So I worked on a Potion that was very smelly and dumped it all over her. Proceeded to yell at her telling her everything how I felt about her and then told her that if she hears about a witch creating chaos that would be me. Then, I walked right out of the class, who all clapped happily till she screamed at them to shut up. I went right to my dorm packed my trunk and headed for the Headmaster and told that bastard off, then I told him that I am transferring to another school," said Miranda, sipping her butterbeer.

“You transferred?” Snape asked, holding his whiskey in his hand. “I assume to another Potion class?”

_TBC . . ._


	2. Chapter Two.

**Chapter Two.**

“No, I went to another school all together. But I basically didn't bloody care what that school did anymore.” said Miranda. “I was only 16 years old when I left that school. My parents disowned me for not completing my schooling in America to become a proper witch. My bloody ass! They didn't want the embarrassment of having a transfer witch in the family.” Miranda started to nurse her untouched butterbeer.  
“Why didn't you send a letter to Hogwarts as I know the headmaster would accept a transfer student?”  
“I wanted to but my letters were returned with a statement from the headmasters of each school I sent it to, ‘ _Sorry, we do not take students who are switching from another school from another country, in the middle of a semester_. _Please consider waiting till the start of next semester_.’ But I finally got accepted into the Japan school of wizards and witches and finished my schooling,” Miranda said.  
“What was the year you were not allowed to come here to school?” asked Snape, he wondered why her parents had refused to allow her to come to school here.  
“It was in 1981, I was only eleven years old. It was right before Voldemort's death at the hands of young Harry Potter. They were not willing to let me go to school here so they fled to America and put me in school there where I was teased for my accent as I spoke with a strong Scottish accent and that I came from Scotland. I wanted nothing more than return to my real home and go to the school I was supposed to be taught at. And now here I am at age twenty two back in the Wizardry world and living not too far from the school I so much wanted to learn at,” said Miranda, she looked at the time and stood up.  
“Tell me what are you trained as?” Snape asked quickly.  
“I’m a special needs specialist; I went to a muggle school back in America after I had graduated from witch school to learn what disabilities a student might have from being mentally challenged to learning disabilities. I must go. It was very nice to meet you, Professor.” Miranda shook his hand and left the bar after throwing a small bag at the barkeep.  
Rosmerta walked over to Snape and spoke, “You better go with your friend, Professor.”  
“She's…um…not my friend!” Snape spat out quickly. He saw the glare in Rosmerta's eyes and hurriedly walked out of the bar in search of Miranda.  
He didn't have far to go before he found Miranda slumped against the tree that was not too far from the bar. She was almost out cold. He shook his head as he helped her to stand up.  
“Miranda, where do you live?” asked Snape, looking at her as he started to walk her towards the living sections of town.  
“In there,” spoke Miranda, pointing towards a section of town. “I live there.”  
The place she pointed towards was the Shrieking Shack. Snape knew it was where Remus Lupin and Sirius Black would stay if they came back to Hogwarts. He shook his head.  
“That's no place for a young woman like you to live in. For tonight, you're staying on my couch in my office at school,” snapped Severus, as he walked/carried Miranda to Hogwarts. He was so thankful that no one was up to see him walk down to his office with a semi-drunken female witch by his side. It would bring scandal to Hogwarts or more like to him.  
He sat her down on his green couch and quickly brewed a hangover preventive for her to drink. He watched as she drank it all down and fell asleep on his couch. Snape was fuming at this; it made it all too clear how drunk she was. He grabbed his silver quilt that an old friend had made for him one winter and covered her with it. Snape turned out the lights and walked out of the room to head for his bedroom where he could get some serious sleep.  
But the poor Potion Master couldn't sleep too well as he kept thinking about the young woman in his office. Damn! He thought to himself as he grabbed his black and silver bathrobe, rushed out of his private room towards his office to see Draco Malfoy standing shocked at his office door and there stood Miranda with her wand out and there was not a pleasant look on her face.  
“Miranda, lower your wand. He's one of my students,” hissed Snape, as he rushed towards her, his hand was searching his pockets for his wand.  
“He shouldn't have barged right into the room like he did,” cooed Miranda, wrapping the silver quilt tighter around herself.  
Snape noticed the bare shoulder and the bare leg she showed. He growled angrily, “Ten points from Slytherin for being out of bed and being out of bounds. Now get back to your bed before I send you somewhere worse than your bed, Mr. Malfoy.”   
“But, Professor…” spoke Draco.   
Severus Snape gave off his cruelest glares at the young man, who scurried out of sight and down the corridor. The sound of his feet faded away as Severus Snape turned towards the witch standing in the doorway wearing only his silver quilt, which unceremoniously fell off her body and onto the floor.   
Severus looked at this very beautiful witch standing before him as he bent down to pick up the quilt and wrapped it around her body. “You should really be dressed.”   
“I was changing my undergarments when your student barged right in like he did. I had no choice but to grab the quilt and cover up with it. I thank you for the loan of your office and your couch but I must really return to my home,” said Miranda, as she turned back into the room and finished dressing right in front of him, no less.   
“I saw the home you live in and it's not livable for any witch or wizard to live in. Please stay the rest of the night and I'll see what I can do as in getting you transferred into this school so you may finish your education. The headmaster Albus Dumbledore is a very good man and he'll probably figure a way for you to stay here to get the rest of your education,” Snape said, seriously, as he fingered his wand in his robe. “Or shall I do the full body bind on you?”   
“You aren't serious about that, are you?” Miranda snapped, seeing that his hand was now holding a wand at her.   
“Yes, I very much am serious.” he growled off, huskily.   
“All right, I'll stay the rest of the night and see Albus about a job here,” spoke Miranda.   
“Not just a job, but learning how to be a witch. You need to be fully trained in magic,” snarled Snape, knowing full well that he will be teaching her Potions.   
Miranda looked shocked at him as he turned away from her and stalked down the hallway. “By Merlin's beard! That man can get the good humor man angry!” she then, slammed the door shut. 

_TBC . . .  
_


End file.
